Since the turn of the millennium, the South Korean government has adopted a master planning strategy in which "power centers" packed with housing and offices are built in desirable locations to encourage new towns to grow up around them. For an entirely new town 20 miles from Seoul, the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has proposed a network of hill-like structures that will merge harmoniously with the surrounding landscape of lakes and forests.

The new power center of Gwanggyo would feature terraced buildings with a garden on the outer edge of every floor, giving all residents access to outdoor space and growing things. The gardens will also give a green sheen to the self-sufficient town.